Coach Krista McCormick Honored as 2016 Athlos Distinguished Educator in Performance Character

In June, three educators from Athlos schools throughout the United States were chosen as recipients of the Athlos Distinguished Educator Award. Each of the three were chosen based on their excellence in exemplifying one of the Athlos Pillars of Performance: Prepared Mind, Healthy Body, and Performance Character.

Coach Krista McCormick from Athlos International Leadership Texas Keller High School was awarded Distinguished Educator in Performance Character. McCormick is the character coach and athletic conditioning coach at Athlos as well as a grade level administrator for the ninth grade, and the head coach for volleyball and girls’ soccer.

“Krista McCormick demonstrated dedication to integrating the 12 Performance Character traits into every aspect of the school day at her school,” said Abby Fereday, programs analyst at Athlos Academies. “She was creative in the activities she created and was able to keep kids engaged and excited about their performance character growth.”

McCormick takes pride in having the autonomy to develop the school’s Performance Character pillar and tailor it to be meaningful and applicable to the students in her school.

“The character piece of the Athlos curriculum is paramount in the success of our students,” McCormick said.

Knowing she is making a difference in the lives of her students is what keeps McCormick looking forward to going to work each day.

“Athlos is synonymous with developing a well-rounded student with the healthy mind, body and character pillars and I am proud to say that I have the opportunity to help develop two of the three pillars every day,” she said.

McCormick believes strongly in the Performance Character portion of the Athlos model, and is inspired to pass along traits that she sees truly impacting her students’ futures.

“By possessing and being able to fully comprehend and apply these traits, my students stand a greater chance at achieving success beyond the books,” she said.

Outside of her work with students, McCormick thrives on any chance she has to work with her fellow colleagues, share her own knowledge and implementation of the Athlos model, and learn from her peers.

“Krista also took on a role as a mentor for Performance Character coaches at other schools,” Fereday said. “Krista went above and beyond, which is why she was selected as this year’s distinguished educator.”

Looking forward, McCormick’s personal goals with Athlos are to continue to move toward a growth mindset in her relationships with fellow staff members and students alike. For new Athlos team members, she offered the following bit of advice:

“Allow yourself to completely embrace this proven methodology of education in the 21st century from day one. The ability to educate your students not only from the book fundamental aspect but also the ability to include the character and healthy body pieces, is an opportunity like no other.”

Congratulations to Coach Krista McCormick for her excellence in exemplifying the Performance Character pillar of the Athlos model.